What is a certified copy?
A 'certified copy' of an original document is a copy of a document (often a photocopy) that an authorised person has verified.
An authorised person is a person who is legally allowed to verify that the copy of the document is the same as the original document. You can find a list of these people on this page.
Find a person authorised to certify your document
Please find below a list of occupations that can certify copies of original documents.
Consider calling beforehand to check that a certifier is available.
- An authorised certifier does not have to accept a request to certify copies.
- Organisations who employ people who are authorised to certify copies may not offer this service as an organisation. For example, even though a pharmacist is allowed to certify copies, the pharmacy they work at may not offer the service.
List of people authorised to certify copies of original documents
- A person currently licensed or registered to practice in Australia as one of the following occupations:
- Architect
- Chiropractor
- Conveyancer
- Dentist
- Financial adviser or financial planner
- Legal practitioner
- Medical practitioner
- Midwife
- Migration agent
- Nurse
- Occupational therapist
- Optometrist
- Patent attorney
- Pharmacist
- Physiotherapist
- Psychologist
- Trade marks attorney
- Veterinary surgeon
- Clerk of a court
- Commissioner for Declarations
- Judge
- Justice of the Peace (with a registration number in the State in which they are registered)
- Magistrate
- Notary public
- Police Officer
Visit the certifier
Bring both the original and a copy of the original to the certifier. You cannot certify a document remotely.
The certifier will:
- examine the original to ensure it is not a copy or forgery
- examine the copy to ensure it is identical to the original. A copy can be considered identical even if it is a different size or colour, so long as that does not result in the loss of any material information.
An authorised certifier must ensure the copy is an identical copy of the original document. The preferred wording for the certification is as follows: ‘I certify this to be a true copy of the original seen by me.’
They will sign and date the copy, and write or stamp their:
- name
- personal or professional address, and
- qualification as an authorised certifier.
If there are multiple pages to the copy, the certifier must sign or initial and number all pages.
The copy has now been certified.